Third Time's a Charm (Crimson Cove Mysteries Book 3) Page 15

  He nodded. “Sign in here and present your identification to the guards. They’ll take a quick photo of you and remove anything that might be dangerous.” His eyes darted to the pen in her hands. “No cellular devices or anything else to record with unless it’s a tape recorder. We do not allow food of any sort with this level of security. We will have to search and scan you both. Do you consent?” His words were gruff and frightening. He wasn’t impressed. He didn’t give a rat’s ass about us. He wanted us gone.

  We both nodded as Sage handed over her pen and phone. He placed everything into a Ziploc bag and handed it to the clerk who inspected our driver’s licenses.

  We signed in and stood with our hands along the wall as two women searched us both. I clenched and tightened as her hands slid everywhere, not as badly as Sage though who looked like she might cry.

  “Okay, he’s this way,” a new guard spoke softly. He didn’t need to be loud. He was the size of my bed when I was a kid. We followed, not even half the size of his shadow, until he reached a room with a large window. “You will be recorded, not what you say but what you do. I will be standing here. Do not reach across to the inmate. Do not make any contact at all with the inmate. Do not attempt to pass anything to the inmate. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Yes, sir,” we spoke in unison.

  “If you are scared or feel unsafe just give me a look, and he will be back in his cell faster than he can blink.” He opened the door and led us inside. We sat in the two chairs on one side of the interview table. The other chair was empty. The guard waited until we were settled in our uncomfortable plastic chairs before nodding at no one.

  Somewhere in the hallway doors opened and closed, making slamming sounds reverberate off the walls. I flinched and jumped, brushing against Sage as she did the same.

  A large man walked in front of the window, leading our old friend, the murderer, with him. Andrew was in shackles and walked funny, but he seemed fairly similar to the last time I saw him. Except for the beige jumpsuit, that was new.

  He grinned when he saw us but never let on who we were.

  They jerked him into the chair, clamping his arms down on the rests with something that appeared painful. The smug shit-eating grin never left his lips, even as his eyes narrowed when they pushed him into the table, bumping him on purpose.

  “Ten minutes,” the guard spoke and they left us alone, with a homicidal maniac.

  I had built the moment up to be something of a dreaded reunion in my head but this was much worse. We sat staring at each other, Sage and I not saying a word.

  “Nothing like being completely predictable.” He laughed and licked his lips. He looked like shit. Real shit. His hair was buzzed off and his left eye seemed like it had been swollen only days before. His mouth had thick spit in it, like he was dehydrated or something. He was a mess. His fingers were dirty with nails that had been chewed off. “You girls are nothing but predictable. It’s almost boring.”

  “You knew we were coming?”

  “Not you two specifically. I figured maybe Rach—oh right.” He laughed. “That bitch is dead.” He sat back as far as the arm clamps would allow. “Two of you would come. I knew that. I figured Lindsey and Lainey. But Vincent and Jake would never allow that, would they? So of course the single ladies come. No one thinking for you.” He chuckled again, shaking his head.

  “Did you know we wanted to congratulate you?”

  He scowled. “What? What for?”

  “It was genius. It was a plan without a flaw.” I leaned in as his eyes continued to dart between Sage and the window. “Well, except that one.”

  “What flaw?”

  “The one where you didn’t think meeting that skeezy little snake at mental institute summer camp would be recorded somewhere, anywhere.”

  His eyes focused on me completely. “What do you want, slut?” He changed the subject, maybe doing the controlling thing Lain had mentioned.

  “To know why, Andrew. We loved you. Why did you do this?” Sage folded her arms, holding herself.

  “You—loved me?” He looked like he didn’t trust her.

  “Of course. Always. We have been friends since we were tiny babies. Of course I loved you. How could you do this to us?”

  A sly grin snuck onto his face. “How could I not?” he toyed with us. “It was too easy to let it pass me by.”

  “Who is Lucinda Wentworth to our families?”

  His eyes flashed in recognition. “Oh, so you aren’t completely useless. Lainey, right? She got that one?”

  “No, Rita. She’s from the city. She knows her,” I lied, not outing Lori for telling us.

  “I know.”

  “So why is she linked to this? Why did you do what you did? Why did you hurt Jake? He loves you like a brother.”

  He shrugged at Sage. “I don’t know. I wanted to. Lucinda seemed so sad and pathetic. Why not?” His stare turned angry. “We owed her. Rachel most of all.”

  “Did you kill Rachel?”

  He tilted his head to the side, glancing around the room. He gave the subtlest nod. “I’m going to kill you all. It might not be my hand on your throat like it was hers, but it will be my hand instrumenting it all.” He gave me a dirty look, one I recognized right away. I had never seen it on his face, but I’d seen it on plenty of others.

  “You and what army?” Sage laughed, sounding different. She leaned right into him, so close I almost pulled her back, and opened the file folder. She spun it so he could see the picture of the dark-haired bitch. “She’s dead. We got this one. We know you’re all in on this together. How many more of you are there?”

  His eyes flashed rage. “You’re lying.”

  “About what?” Sage acted innocent, lying way better than I gave her credit for.

  “She’s not dead!” he seethed, leaning in a bit.

  “She is. We killed her at the weird asylum in Ellisville. She’s dead. And no one will even care because you’re in here and she doesn’t have anyone else, does she?” Sage pouted her bottom lip. “Poor little psycho.”

  “Screw you, Sage. She’s not dead. I’d know.”

  “Oh, do they still allow mail and messenger pigeons?” She laughed again in his face.

  Something changed.

  His cheeks flushed and his eyes widened. He gave the fiercest glare ever. “I am going to KILL YOU!” He started jerking and wrestling with the chair.

  I turned and gave the guard the look, the one he’d mentioned.

  He moved swiftly, entering the room and covering Andrew with his body. “Get them outta here!” he commanded. Other guards came and took us out. Sage left behind the file folder with the one picture in it.

  “Let me have my picture. Just let me have the picture! Please! Please!” His words echoed in the hall, growing desperate and difficult to understand as he was clearly being restrained. We hurried out of the building after claiming our things.

  “I need a shower and some cake,” I muttered as we almost ran for the car.

  “Well?” Lainey asked first. She’d obviously been pacing.

  “He’s freaking insane. There’s no normal in him anymore. It’s gone. He’s out to lunch,” Sage ranted, waving her arms like a crazy person. “He just wanted to toy with us and play games. It was like Silence of the Lambs. He’s a mess. There’s no point.”

  “He’s nuts,” I agreed, watching them all and wanting to tell them Sage was nuts too, or a really good actress. She had worked him like she was my dad’s best employee.

  “Like no response?” Jake asked nervously.

  “No, like he got so worked up I think he shit himself at the end. His face when we said she was dead was priceless. He was beyond upset.” I should have enjoyed taking back some of the power, but I didn’t. I felt sick. He was sick. It was disturbing. I couldn’t imagine how Lainey had coped with seeing all those dead people in his house. Her and Jake’s ashen faces told me they were possibly reliving all the bad things he’d done to them.

&nb
sp; In fact, everyone looked haunted.

  Except Sage who didn't seem fazed. She waved it off. “He got worked up, gave nothing away except the fact they know each other—he and the dark-haired chick. They’re friends and cohorts and maybe more.” She climbed into her brother’s car. “I want to get out of here. This place gives me the creeps.” She waved at me.

  Linds gave me a look as if she wanted to ask more, but I shook my head softly, telling her we would discuss it later.

  “I guess we will all see each other tomorrow night?” Rita seemed lost as she walked behind Sage to Ashton’s car.

  “Tomorrow night?” I asked, confused.

  “The first Christmas party of the season. My mom’s making me go. I tried to say it’s a school night but she said no dice.”

  “Yeah. My mom is making me go,” Lainey answered, seeming unsure of why we were discussing this in the parking lot of the jail.

  Linds nodded as she climbed in with Vince. “Yeah. No escaping it.”

  Vincent gave me a look. “’Tis the season?”

  “Whatever.” I sighed and climbed into the car with Lainey and Jake.

  “So what did he look like?” Lain turned and asked me as we sat and waited for Jake to start the car.

  “Deranged. He seemed like he’d been beaten lately. And his eyes were red all around the rims. He made weird faces like he was laughing about things that haven’t even happened yet.” I shivered from the cold air.

  Lainey winced.

  “He said he’s going to kill us all, and though it won’t be his hands around our necks the way they were around Rachel’s, it will still be him killing us.”

  Jake’s eyes lifted to the rearview, narrowing. “Screw that.”

  I wanted to agree. I could see Lainey did too.

  But we were both afraid.

  “He didn't even flinch when they hit him or hurt him. I don't think it’s possible to hurt him.”

  “Oh, I’m going to hurt him.” Jake scoffed under his breath and drove away from the parking lot, following Vincent.

  “He’s not in love with Sage anymore. She had no effect on him. But his face when he saw the picture of the dark hair—Hailey—he was bothered then. He was angry. We got to him. I suspect he loves her.” I glanced out the window at the gray day, saying it all as if it were an offhand comment and not a key in the case that would save our lives.

  Chapter Nineteen

  The Purge

  “So you found nothing?” I muttered while trying to smile. Even though Finn and I were in the corner of the large room, people were still watching me.

  “No. There were no records in the system of Andrew or the girl at Engelmann on Broad Street. Just of him at Silver Hills and the rehab in Manhattan.” Finn’s eyes darted away in a manner that made me suspicious. It was the exact same way my mother lied. She would look at you until the very end and then dart away before you saw the truth there. It was possible he was lying but unlikely. So there had to be a good reason.

  He was protecting me from something.

  But I didn't need protecting. I needed the truth.

  He sipped his Coke and watched the crowds. “Your people are so twisted they still party, despite everything that's happened in the last six months?”

  “Yup. Welcome to the one percent.” I winked and tried to ignore the lie. It would make it easier to find out what it was if he wasn't suspicious.

  “That's special.”

  “It really is.” I laughed and drank my white wine spritzer. “We are masters of pretending everything is fine. Rachel died; it was unfortunate. Andrew blackmailed Tom and kidnapped Jake; it was mental illness. Turns out he also killed Rachel, of course he did. How sad.” I laid on the sarcasm extra thick. “I got kidnapped at a party where I drank too much and hooked up with the wrong boy, who incidentally hasn't been seen or heard from since. Except his credit cards are still being used in Europe so his family thinks he took off. Well, I shouldn't have gotten drunk and done drugs and been such a whore and that wouldn't have happened. I probably slept with the wrong boyfriend. He probably left because he got caught with me and is ashamed or because his girlfriend broke up with him. In fact, she’s the one who kidnapped and tortured me to teach me a lesson about being a whore.”

  Finn’s jaw tightened.

  “The things we say to feel better.” I sipped again, fighting the urge to scream at everyone staring at me. But like Linds and Lain had pointed out once, that would only solidify the rumors that I was crazy.

  “I hate it here. I hate these people.” His eyes widened like there was passion behind the words that came out flat.

  “Me too.” I leaned in and let my forehead rest against his chin. “Let’s run away.”

  “Okay.” He pulled me back. “I’m being serious.”

  “I know. You’re always serious.”

  “I have enough money. We could just leave and never come back.”

  I lifted a finger and tapped his nose. “Enough money for you and enough money for me are two different things.” I couldn't help but smile at his efforts. He was the sweetest weirdo ever.

  “I have enough for you. Not me—I would be fine with what I had in tenth grade.” He tilted his head, still being adorably serious.

  “Did you steal it?”

  “When I was a kid, I did.” He nodded slowly. “Some of it. Most I earned. Some is interest on earnings. I discovered that when you get enough money in investments the interest is surprisingly more than enough to live on.”

  “You’re a very bad boy, Zachary Finn.” I said it as Lain and Jake sauntered over. She had her nervous sweats going. I almost rolled my eyes and asked why she and Finn weren’t dating. Jake and I matched as well as she and Finn did.

  Lain gave me a weird look as her lips parted but nothing came out, like she exhaled her idea.

  “Hey.” I smiled, still trying to pretend to have a good time for the benefit of my mother’s vigil.

  “Hey.” She puzzled and blushed. Typical Lain. It meant she recalled something, likely the stupidest detail ever. Her eyes darted to Finn and her lips pressed into her lame attempt at a smile.

  Jake offered him a hand. “Finn.”

  “Jake.” Finn took it.

  “Counting down the minutes until the escape?” Jake smiled.

  “Yeah. Not sure we will ever get away. Mrs. Casey hasn’t stopped watching us for the last two hours.” He peered into his glass. “And I don’t know how much more Coke I can take. I feel like I might explode already.” He nodded. “I’ll be right back.” He walked away, being strange as always.

  “I don’t even know what to say, Sierra. That is Lainey with a dick.” Jake folded his arms and grinned at his girlfriend. She didn’t swat him or make a face. She swallowed hard and I knew something was up.

  “What?” I added extra accusatory tone for effect.

  “Can you get me a drink?” She looked at Jake and smiled. “Nonalcoholic.”

  “Your wish is my command.” He bowed slightly and left us alone.

  “What?” I said it harsher.

  “Zach. Zachary. That was the name of the boy Hailey was dating. She had an on-again, off-again relationship with a boy named Zach.” She paled.

  “Oh, it probably isn’t the same one.” But even I didn’t believe that.

  “So many coincidences, Sierra. If he’d just been at Silver Hills, okay. But following your phone, even after he had finished his job for your dad?” She cocked an eyebrow.

  “He liked me.” I said it but it lacked conviction.

  The look on her face echoed the doubt I had inside. Of course he didn’t like me. Who would like me? What normal guy would like me? Especially one I hadn’t even slept with yet.

  Sierra, the slut.

  My heart broke into a thousand pieces.

  “Oh my God.” I gagged a whimper.

  “Let’s get out of here.” She wrapped her arm around my shoulders and spun me, walking straight for the door. I heaved as we hurried out the
front entrance of the house to the car. She opened the door for me before my driver could get there.

  “Sierra!”

  I spun, wincing at the kaleidoscope I saw through. Even my tears couldn’t block him out. Lainey tried to push me into the car but I resisted.

  “You know her. You know the girl, Hailey.” I stepped toward him, blinking to clear my eyes.

  He didn’t lie, he didn’t even try. He sighed. That was it.

  “You know Hailey. You freakin’ dated her!” It tore from my lips as a scream, jagged and raw. Lainey pushed me into the car and slammed the door as she jumped on top of me.

  I closed my eyes and cried like the idiot I was.

  Chapter Twenty

  Thirteen Ghosts

  Love.

  The word made me want to scratch my eyes out for being tricked by that nerdy demeanor. I had trusted everything he said. I had believed he wouldn’t lie to me. I never doubted a single thing.

  I was a fool.

  “You okay?” Sage asked softly. She had been the one to stay, volunteering for the first night shift of watching over me.

  “It’s funny when you really think about it. I was tricked by a nerd who didn’t want sex from me. A guy conned me into believing he cared about me so a horrible girl could trick me.” I paced. “No wonder Andrew snickered at us.” I laughed bitterly. “I never even gave it up. How did I believe he liked me?”

  “I don’t know that he tricked you. I just think he lied about who he was. The others are convinced he was only there to make you like him. But I don’t think that. Not completely.” She sat next to the window. “I think he likes you.” She sounded distant.

  “Why?”

  “The way he watches you.” Sage whispered it and stared out into the cold night. “It’s the same way Vincent looks at Linds.”

  My insides ached for us both. No one ever believed she truly liked Vincent, but I knew she did. They all thought she was indifferent to him, but I saw the way she looked at him. I knew exactly what she was talking about. We looked at Vincent the same. At least I had until Finn came along.